Rito
The Rito are a legendary race native to Dastan, who inhabited the land far earlier than most other races. Rito are known for their majestic wings that allow them to soar across the skies with both speed and precision. They are otherwise similar to humans in appearance. History The Rito's ancient home mostly includes the mountains of Dastan, but their territory has shrunk to small cluster of mountains southeast of Drakencourt since the settlement of humans and other races. The Rito clans have been at odds with humans since their arrival. Disputes over land, resources, and propriety have forced the Rito to seclude themselves in the mountains. This has recently changed, however, due to the outcome of the Battle of Dastan. Many Rito warriors descended from the mountains to help fight the threats that would potentially end regular life for both the Rito and the civilization below. Since then, trade has been reestablished between the Rito and the Dastanese, and diplomatic relations have begun to evolve. Flavius currently acts as an ambassador between the clans and Drakencourt. Culture The Rito are primarily hunter-gatherers in the mountains, but can also use their hunting skills to fight in battle. With little suitable space to farm, they must trap and hunt animals as well as gather what food they can from the sparse alpine vegetation. They also use plants and herbs for medicinal purposes, animal hides for shelter, and wood and stone for weapons. Anything they use is from the mountains. The hunt is one of the oldest and most significant Rito traditions. It involves clan-wide hunting parties of both men and women, who use ancient tactics and their flying abilities to their advantage. A Rito adolescent's first kill symbolizes a coming of age. Small herds of mountain goats are the main target, but any other terrestrial creature is fair game. Rito will not hunt or attack birds or hippogriffs because they respect them as fellow occupants of the sky. Another airborne creature that the Rito have great respect for are dragons. Throughout the two races' shared history in Dastan, the Rito have protected and cared for dragons, especially since the latter's seclusion from the Dastanese. Following the Battle of Dastan the dragon have largely revealed themselves again and are becoming more pronounced in the country, but the Rito continue to watch over their mystic allies. Hunting is performed with the wooden shortbow, thus a Rito predator must glide silently above their prey to attain a short range before attacking. Rito are divided into clans consisting of anywhere between 15 and 50 people. Traditionally they are lead by two leaders: one male and one female. Clans are further divided into family units. Any disputes between clans or individuals are first attempted to be settled diplomatically, but hunting and flying competitions have also been used. Rito are rarely known to kill or injure each other. Religion Rito religion and ritual is generally kept secret from outsiders. However it is known that they worship a god similar or equivalent to Fabula Sibylla, and it is suspected that there is one living Rito for every generation that serves as an oracle. Rito Characters *Denerii *Flavius *Fleyra *Julius *Aunt Kree Category:Races